Federal Officials Condemn Turkish Flag Burnings, Reaffirm Ankara Ties

Somali Federal Government officials issued a coordinated round of statements on September 12, 2026 condemning the burning of Turkish flags during protests in Puntland, Jubbaland and Lower Shabelle over the disputed September 3-4 Doolow strike, and reaffirming Mogadishu's relationship with Ankara. Energy Minister Abdullahi Bidhan said 'foreign-backed politicians' could not alter the relationship, declaring 'we stand firmly with Turkey, and no one will change this.' Prime Minister's spokesperson Ahmed Macallin Fiqi dismissed the flag-burning incidents as having no real impact on bilateral ties, characterizing them as the work of opposition groups. Parliament Speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama, who two days earlier called the protests a 'foreign agenda,' reiterated that disrespecting a friendly nation's flag was a serious matter. The federal government has continued to deny that any external strike occurred in Doolow.